Then Somebody Bends
by KaiPhoenix
Summary: What would have happened had Gaston and the village not accosted Belle and her father?
1. Chapter 1: Beast

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version nor the original fairy tale._

He waited and waited and waited, but she never came back. No one had come to the castle since she had left and he waited.

His birthday had come and gone and the rose had finished its wilting, the last petal shriveled and dead as the stem continued its hover over the small table. The stem was no longer green, but brown and dead, only staying aloft as the last bit of life finished making its way out of the glass. The stem would probably meet the same fate as the petals and leaves by the next morning.

He would keep the rose, knowing that the magic of the glass over it would keep it from rotting any further and would certainly preserve what was left of the rose long after he had passed one. None of his servants had mentioned his birthday when it had come and gone and he certainly hadn't thought about it either. The main reason he hadn't thought about it was that he had honestly forgotten that such a day would come.

At first, he had thought about it. Had counted the days down to it since she had left, but after a while, when she hadn't returned and no one else had come. He had forgotten that life would continue when his life walked out his door and galloped away into the night.

Sometimes, when he was feeling even more depressed and cynical, he wondered if she had even kept the mirror or if she'd thrown it out at the first chance. Good riddance to bad rubbish and all that. He tried not to think like this often, it wouldn't do anyone any good.

He's so lonely these days. His servants are still there and they still speak to him, but he doesn't often respond. He used to speak to them, knowing that it would be just as good for them as it would for him. He would admit to himself that he owed them quite a bit for staying with him for so long. He doesn't count the time as cursed objects in that count. Rather, he remembers how horrible he was to them when they were all human. He wonders sometimes why they stayed with him then. Sure, he was a prince, rich and able to give stellar references if he felt like it, but he's sure that there were other places they could have found work that was just as good if not better. He knows that others did, after all, there used to be thousands of servants at his castle, not hundreds.

A part of him is glad that so many had left before that fateful night. Another part of him is still glad that he has others with him so that he's not completely lonely now that he's pulled his head out from somewhere very uncomfortable. Most of him is ashamed at what he has caused, ashamed that he turned his faithful servants into animated objects that could lose their lives if they are handled too roughly. Ashamed that he caused the illness of his beloved's father.

He's aware that it wasn't his decision for Belle's father to go searching for her in the dead of winter in his old age, but it is his fault that the old man was worried about his daughter in the first place.

In a way, he considers himself luckier than the old man for how his daughter treated him the last time they had seen one another face to face. She was far kinder to beast that had been more than wild and mad than the same beast had been to her and her father.

He had been able to say goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2: Belle

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version nor the original fairy tale._

**Chapter 2: Belle**

The winter went on and one and on. She'd all but nursed her father and their uninvited guest back to health. Her father was currently resting in his chair by the fire while Le Fou was out caring for the livestock in the barn. He would be in for dinner in about an hour.

She was more than a little grateful that he hadn't been stupid enough to try and make it back to the village in the blizzard-like weather that they had. He was useful, if annoying. The former was mildly surprising while the latter wasn't even the slightest bit surprising. She was also very grateful that he had 'volunteered' to stay in the barn during the nights. She knew that he was warm enough; she had made sure he had blankets and a quilt and he slept in the cleaner straw with a flannel. A part of her wondered if Le Fou was frightened of what Gaston would do to him should the other man ever discover his follower had spent the night under the same roof as 'his' woman. Another part of her reminded her that, despite his mocking words and general personality, Le Fou was honorable towards women and would never compromise one. He didn't have the heart to do so, no matter how cowardly he acted.

She paused in stirring the stew and snuck a hand towards her pocket, stopping just shy of it. She usually carried the mirror with her whenever she could, but had placed it in a safe nook in her room with Chip. The small child-cup had wanted to watch his mother today and Belle had called the motherly image of Mrs. Potts to the mirror's view before tucking the enchanted boy and mirror away. She hadn't been able to use the mirror for well over a week, being too wrapped up in caring for her father, Le Fou and the animals amongst her other chores.

She knew that Chip was starting to regret his hasty actions. He hadn't thought ahead to how long it would be before they would be able to return to the castle and the small boy was missing his mother far more than he had ever thought he would. Enchanted object or not, he was still just a child who wasn't ready to leave his mother. She had promised him that she would return him to the Castle, to his mother, as soon as she could, but she wasn't sure when that would be. She had already been away from the Castle longer than she thought she would be.

She missed the Beast, and her friends from the Castle, far more than she had ever missed anything or anyone before. Sometimes, usually early in the morning or late at night, when she was the only one awake, she found herself missing the Beast more than she had even missed her mother. Her mother who had been beautiful and kind and had taught her all manner of things, chief of them how to care for others and how to keep a house and turn that house into a home. Her mother who she had lost far too early and who she knew her father still mourned to this day.

She tried not to think about why that was. She wasn't sure she could bare the answer.


	3. Chapter 3: Maurice

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version nor the original fairy tale._

**Chapter 3: Maurice**

Maurice watched his daughter as she served the stew towards Le Fou and himself before serving herself. He attempted to be as unobtrusive as possible, knowing that the only reason he was succeeding was because of the exhaustion Le Fou felt from working in the barn and then traveling between the barn and the house in the storm that continued to blow just outside. His daughter wasn't paying any attention to him, not in the way that would allow her to know what he was doing anyway. Her mind was too preoccupied, as it had been since he had woken to her face. She had smiled at him when he woke up, but there had been a distance to her eyes that he hadn't understood at first. He didn't think it was intentional, it was more like her thoughts, the majority of them anyway, were somewhere else.

Le Fou thanked Belle for the food, digging into it hungrily. Maurice also thanked his daughter and watched as she smiled and accepted their compliments with grace, her eyes not losing that distant quality that had continued to be present in them.

They had spoken little about what had happened at the Beast's Castle, though not for lack of trying. At first, he hadn't been able to think about very much, his fever keeping most coherent thoughts just out of his reach. When he had regained his head, there had been Le Fou's ramblings about Gaston's plan to worry about and work out a cover story for. After they had been able to work on a story that would actually hold through, Le Fou had been awake and they hadn't been able to discuss things with him still in the house.

Maurice tried not to think about his raving in the tavern several weeks ago. He knew that most of the villagers already believed that he was crazy because of his inventions. He knew that they hadn't tried to commit him because they found his antics amusing and harmless. He owed more than his freedom to the severe winter weather that they had this season. His daughter would do anything to keep him safe and out of an institution. Had she not already offered herself to another to secure his freedom?

Once Le Fou was well enough to stay in the barn, it seemed like there was some kind of taboo on speaking about the Castle and its inhabitants. The small man had been terrified once he'd realized how much he had blabbed during his feverish delirium and had worried that they would throw him out into the weather. He would have certainly frozen to death without them taking him in and Belle nursing him back to health. He showed his gratitude by helping in the barn as much as he could. Maurice had, had to teach him some of the care for the animals as Le Fou was more adept at cleaning hunted game and curing the meat and hides. He had also been very willing to accept their story behind the raving.

They had told him that Maurice had gotten lost during his trip home from the fair and taken ill. Belle had set out to search for him, but Maurice had managed to make it home before she had found him. In his fever, Maurice had thought her daughter abducted by a beast and he had whirled himself to the tavern to seek aid in 'recovering' his daughter. Once they had denied him assistance, the old man had then set out to 'rescue' his daughter on his own. Belle had finally found her father as his fever had worsened and then taken him home.

Their reason for being out when Gaston and Le Fou had come to their house? Belle had been on the way home with her father and hadn't made it there until several hours after Gaston had left. Le Fou hadn't seen them because the storm had worsened and they'd come in through the back door as they had been closest to it at the time. It didn't cover everything, but they didn't want to make the story too complicated. Complicated stories are usually more difficult to remember.

The little that they had discussed concerning the Castle and, more importantly, the Beast made Maurice ponder. The Beast was obviously wealthy and had (possibly) once been a man who had (somehow, maybe?) been turned into the monster that he was now. He cared about Maurice's daughter to an extent that Maurice wasn't entirely sure about. He, the Beast, had been willing to provide for Belle and had done so while she had lived with him. Maurice wasn't sure if Belle even understood what that meant. For all her intelligence, his darling daughter could be rather dense, especially when it came to matters of the heart. He supposed that she took after him in that matter.

From the way Belle spoke of the Beast, Maurice had come to believe that she loved him. He didn't think that she knew it herself just yet. He knew that he wasn't ready for the idea of it himself.

He watched as Le Fou helped his daughter cleared away the dishes from the table. Maurice gathered the pot of stew and placed it, being careful to cover it to keep animals away, in a wooded box on the back porch that he had fashioned to hold any food that might spoil while in the house during the winter. Le Fou finished wiping down the table as Belle washed, dried and put the dishes away. Le Fou bid them both a goodnight before he gathered his winter things and began his journey through the snowfall back to the barn for the night.

Maurice wondered just how much time they had left before the cowardly man would brave the weather to find his master. He knew that he would need to speak to his daughter this night over what their long term plans were. The weather hadn't been as terrible as before, but the snow was still very thick. Their story was enough to give Le Fou pause, but Maurice knew Gaston's character. He was a good man for the most part, capable of providing for a family and willing to give the whole of himself over. He was a passionate man. He wasn't sure how quickly such passion would turn to anger if Belle refused the man again. Gaston's word was far more powerful than his own.


	4. Chapter 4: Mirror, Mirror

**Chapter 4: Mirror, Mirror**

"Belle, we need to talk about what has been going on."

Belle looked up, startled to find her father in the doorway of her room. She had thought that he had gone to bed as it was well into the night. Chip was sleeping quietly in the little cubby that he had claimed for his own. She was holding the mirror in her hand, but hadn't worked up the courage to ask it to show her the object of her circling thoughts.

"Yes, Father, what is it?"

Maurice stepped further into his only child's room and closed the door behind him. He met his curious daughter's eyes as he sat at the end of her bed, his own eyes glancing at the mirror in her hands for a moment before returning to her face.

"I have seen precious little of that mirror before, where did you get it?"

Belle blushed slightly and looked down at the mirror for a moment before looking back at her father, "The Beast gave it to me as something to remember him by when I left."

Maurice frowned, "I still find it hard to believe that a monster such as that-"

"He's not a monster!" Belle interrupted and then looked apologetically at her father when he gave her a reprimanding look, "What I mean to say, is that he's not a monster, not anymore. He might have been at one point, Father, but he's changed. He's not like that, not anymore."

Maurice watched as his daughter's fingers traced the mirror's frame around the glass, her eyes had a faraway look to them and he wasn't sure she was aware of what her fingers were doing. He sat in silence, thinking about her words and her actions and comparing them to the words and actions of the beast in his memories. He glanced over at the sleeping cup, Chip. He wondered if he should be concerned about his daughter's attachment to a beast or a man that she had stayed with. He would be more worried if he wasn't confident in his ability to read his daughter. She was in love, but it was highly unlikely that anything untoward had happened.

"Why do you think he let you go?"

Belle started out of her memories and met her father's eyes once more, "Because he's my friend." She hadn't hesitated in her answer, her hands continuing their journey on the mirror.

"Is that all he is to you?"

Belle's hands pulled away from the mirror as she looked at her father in surprise. He smiled at her, a smile of sorrow and happiness and resignation. She blinked; she hadn't ever seen him look at her like that, not since her mother had died. She placed a hand on her father's knee and looked at him in concern. He continued to smile at her and shook his head.

"Belle, my only daughter, before all of this started, we talked about your future. Do you remember that?"

She nodded and then grimaced slightly, "You mentioned Gaston as a possibility. Please tell me that you're not…" She trailed off as Maurice laughed softly and shook his head, the smile never leaving his face.

"No, although if he's the first person you think of when I ask you who you would like to spend the rest of your life with, then maybe you should give him a chance."

She frowned at him for a moment, taking in the seriousness in his voice despite the laughter before her eyes widened. "F-father!"

His smile didn't diminish, "Think about it, Belle." His face grew solemn for a moment as he stood and looked down at his daughter, his only child and all that he had left from his beautiful wife. "But, Belle, think about what it is you want, because from what we know of Gaston from our guest, we won't have as much time as I would like for you to come to your decision."

He left her there, thinking, on her bed. Her fingers returning to their task of tracing the mirror's frame in her hands, Belle watched as her father left her room, closing the door softly behind him once more. She looked down into the mirror for a moment before glancing at the sleeping Chip, making sure that he had slept through their discussion. Chip mumbled something inaudibly before returning to his slumber, having slept deeply enough that he was untroubled. She smiled softly at the young cup, before returning her gaze to the mirror in her lap. She hadn't used it yet this day for herself. She bit her lip as she held it aloft.

"Show me the Beast, please." Her whispered words fogged the mirror over for a moment, so close was she holding it. The fog cleared from the glass as an image came into focus on. Her breath caught as she took in the slumped figure in his room. The Beast looked so defeated, so forlorn. Her eyes drank in his every feature and movement, though she paid little attention to anything that was around him. He looked so sad, so broken… Her poor Beast… Her hand clenched around the mirror's handle as she thought about what her father had said. She hadn't wanted to leave the Beast, not in the end.

She had wanted to at first, when she had been alone with him for the first night. She had thought, in her tears that she would even prefer to be married to Gaston over being locked up in this strange castle with a monster. At least, if she had wed Gaston, he would have stayed in the village. She would be stuck there, tied down to a man that she didn't really care for, but she would be able to see her father. In this strange castle, locked up with a monster, the only friends she could possibly have would be the strange servants. She had thought, in a rather uncharitable moment, that the servants would spy on her and report back all her wanderings to the monster that had imprisoned her father.

"But that wasn't how it stayed…" Belle murmured to herself. The Beast had frightened her terribly, but he had come for her when she was in trouble. The servants, the strange objects that could walk and talk, had been kind to her and eased her loneliness.

She wanted to see them again, talk with them and laugh with them. Most of all, she wanted to spend time with the Beast, her Beast. She wanted to read with him and see him every morning and before the end of the day, so that he would be the first and last person that she saw every day. She wanted to introduce him to her father, watch as they, hopefully, learned to get along. She wanted her friends from the Castle to meet her father and she wanted her father to learn to care for them as she did.

She wanted to go home, home with her Beast.

Belle fell asleep holding the mirror to her chest as if she were cradling the mourning figure shown within close to her heart.


	5. Chapter 5: Decisions

**Chapter 5: Decisions**

Le Fou knew that the weather wasn't getting any better, but he knew that it also wasn't getting any worse. He'd have to leave to let Gaston know that Belle and her father were home soon, possibly today even. If he waited much longer, then Gaston would probably work himself into some kind of rage when he discovered that Le Fou had taken even this long to let him know. Le Fou wasn't normally afraid of his friend, not really. He admired the man, knew that he was the best at everything and anything in the village. He also knew that his friend, though slow to anger, once he got himself worked up about anything he could swing from one emotion to another very quickly. And when he was angry, really truthfully angry, he wasn't just terrifying, he was cold. Gaston's heart burned bright and he was a good man, though conceited, but he was also a cruel man once his anger was truly stoked. Like a fire that would warm you one moment and then, if burning too hotly, burn your home down.

Le Fou was friends with him for many reasons, and not just because he was a coward as so many of the villagers believed. Le Fou and Gaston had known each other when they were small, their mothers being close cousins. They hadn't seen each other as much as they had seen other children in the village, but they were fast friends as children. Gaston, as he often boasted about mostly good-naturedly, was the kind of child that kept growing and growing and growing. He had a large appetite and he had no problem eating anything and everything his mother put in front of him. Gaston was a kid that believed he could do anything because his parents told him if he wanted it enough and worked for it enough, he could. Le Fou's parents weren't quite the same, but they had loved him and he had grown up learning that loyalty to family came before everything. Sometimes he wondered if this was why he had no problem going along with whatever plan or scheme his cousin thought up, both as children and now as adults.

"I'll need to leave soon," he mumbled to himself once again before glancing out at the snow covered ground around the farm. "I'll leave after breakfast is over, that way I'll have plenty of time to get where I need to go."

**XXxxXX**

Maurice had the strange experience of waking before his daughter as well as their guest. He hadn't done that since Belle had come home. She was always the first up, and Le Fou had actually surprised Maurice with how early he rose, though still not as early as Maurice's daughter. This morning was special in that Maurice had woken several hours before dawn and yet was still feeling quite refreshed from his sleep. It was probably one of the most restful nights of sleep that he had, had since before everything had started. He wasn't even sure if he had slept this well when he'd been working on his latest invention, which he still hadn't been able to get to the fair, now that he thought about it.

Sometimes he wondered if any of his work would be put to use by someone other than his own family, but that was neither here nor there.

He looked up from where he was in the kitchen, warming up their breakfast from the leftovers of the night before, when he heard his daughter's door creak open very slightly. He wasn't all that surprised that instead of hearing the quiet footsteps of his daughter he heard the small clink of porcelain against the wood of their floor. Sure enough, Chip came into view of where Maurice had sat down at the table. The little cup smiled as he hopped up on the table for a moment, knowing that it would be several minutes, if not another hour before Le Fou would be awake enough to come into the little house for breakfast.

"Morning!" the little cup all but crowed.

Maurice's smile grew slightly at the child, "Good morning." He returned as the little cup beamed at him. "You seem awfully cheerful this morning; I don't think I've seen you this happy so early before."

Chip laughed a little, "I don't know why, but I feel like today is a day that I've been waiting for my whole life without being aware that I was even waiting for it."

Maurice looked at the child-cup questioningly, but the cup only shrugged at him in answer. Maurice didn't really take time to think about how the cup was able to shrug without actually having shoulders to shrug with. He understood the gesture and that was all that was important about it. This small child was a cup and while didn't know why, he knew that this young lad was his friend. He wondered at what inventions he could create in order to help his friend and if anything he did would be helpful at all.

Chip smiled up at the elder man and got into a conversation about one of Maurice's inventions that Chip had seen in use in the house. The young cup-child was very interested in what Maurice did in his daily life and the machines that he created for use. This spoke well of the Beast and what he allowed his servants and their children or families to know. He had learned of the large library that the Beast had allowed his daughter to use and how, despite the fact that much of the castle had fallen into disarray, the library was still kept very well, even though the Beast hadn't been interested in books.

"Father?"

Maurice looked up from where he'd been explaining the invention in question to the cup-child and met his daughter's eyes. The determination in them didn't surprise him, but he was surprised by how she was dressed. She looked as if she was ready to leave the house for a trek through the snow. He didn't need to look behind her to know that she had most of her little things packed and ready to go in her room. She wasn't quite done yet as he could see that Chip was surprised by her clothing choice. She had probably started this as soon as the little cup-child left the room. She could be quiet while moving around the house if she needed to be. Her mother had been like that.

"Belle! Why are you dressed like that?" Chip asked with wide eyes.

Maurice didn't ask the obvious question as he had already pretty much asked about it the night before. Here was his answer and he wasn't all that much surprised by it. He knew his daughter better than she knew herself sometimes, a trait which she had towards him as well.

He smiled, "Should we wait for Le Fou to come in for breakfast and then leave while he's in the barn or should we leave now?"

Belle smiled in relief at her father's question. She had been slightly worried about his reaction to her leaving and had wanted him to come with her, but unsure how to ask him. He didn't have any positive memories or experiences with the Beast, not like she did.

They didn't get much chance to go into it further, because they heard Le Fou trying to get the door open. It had snowed a bit more during the night and the door was a little jammed. Belle hurried back to her room to take off her traveling clothes and finish packing her bags quickly. Maurice went to open the door for Le Fou and Chip hurried out of sight and into Belle's room as well. Le Fou entered in through the back door, carrying the pot from dinner last night that they would have for breakfast once it was heated enough to eat. It was still cold when Belle joined them at the table to eat, but they had hot drinks as the water had already been heated. They ate in silence and then Le Fou nodded to each of his hosts before leaving the house and starting his way to the village.

As soon as he had left the house, Belle and Maurice finished packing up what they would be taking with them. It wouldn't be everything they owned, just the things that they absolutely needed, plus a few things that they couldn't bring themselves to leave behind, but were still small enough to pack in amongst the clothes they'd be bringing. Chip was placed gently in the top of Belle's satchel, but he was also cushioned so that he would be safe during their journey. They made sure to leave a note explaining that they had urgent family business and asking Le Fou to take care of their house and animals that they'd be leaving behind.

They saddled up Philippe and started on their way after saying goodbye to their house and to their animals. They didn't actually go into the barn, they thought that Le Fou was in there after all, and they only went in far enough to retrieve Philippe. Well, Maurice went in and quickly saddled up his horse. He didn't see Le Fou, but he figured that Le Fou was in the back. He said a quiet goodbye to his animals and took Philippe out to his daughter. She climbed up on the horse and settled in. She knew better than to argue with her father about this at the moment. No, she'd wait until they'd been out in the woods for a while and then she mention that her legs were starting to ache a bit. She'd mention that a bit of a walk would do her legs well.

Maurice would pick up on it fairly quickly, but he'd bow to her wishes gracefully and switch places with her for a few miles and then try the same thing. They were family after all.


	6. Chapter 6: Town News

**Chapter 6: Town News**

It took Le Fou the better part of the morning to reach the village; it took him almost half an hour to thaw out enough to deliver most of his message to Gaston. While Gaston was excited by the fact that his cousin had returned chiefly because it meant that Belle had returned. He was slightly worried about how cold his cousin was and knew that Belle and Maurice wouldn't have anywhere to go so he wasn't worried that they would go anywhere while he waited for Le Fou to warm up. He had all the time in the world, he believed, and though he wasn't always the nicest to his cousin, he did care about him when he wasn't too busy being infuriated with something Le Fou had done. Gaston never lost anything he had strived for, those things that made him work extra hard for always came to him eventually and the hunt was all the more sweet for the effort he'd put into it.

He was the best man in the village for Belle and he had made sure that every man in town knew it, whether they were already married or still single. Belle was going to be the lucky girl that he was going to marry, she might need a little persuasion, but he would make it up to her throughout the long years they were married. Everyone knew that he would take care of his family once he had it and he would never lift his hand against his wife and children. He was a good man, he was just very passionate; which was why he was going so far in order to get Belle to marry him.

He could see them already sitting around the fire just now. His beautiful wife already round with their first child, a boy of course. He leaned down and scratched behind his dog's ears, daydreaming about a lovely winter wedding since the fall wedding had fallen through. He glanced at Le Fou, wondering if he'd be up to going and picking up Gaston's bride just yet.

"You warm enough to head back out?"

Le Fou chugged the rest of his foaming beer and nodded emphatically, "Let's go!"

They left the inn and headed to meet up with the caretaker of the asylum. The man needed a little help digging out his wagon before they headed off towards the little cottage at the edge of the village. A few other villagers followed after them, curious how this village melodrama would play out. Winter wasn't very good for news coming in from outside of the village and so things happening inside the village were worth it to find out. Not a lot of other entertainment to be found outside other than the larger than usual amount of snow.

They could practically smell the delicious gossip that was coming their way by the end of the day. If only they knew what would eventually follow more than just this day or even this season and year.

They had no idea what was in store for their little village.

**XXxxXX**

The next morning the town was all aflutter over the disappearance of the inventor and his daughter to some kind of family emergency out of town. Most of the town didn't know of any family members that the small family might have. The only person that really knew anything about them on a personal level was the old bookkeeper. He had known them and talked with them and even visited them during Christmas. He was one of the few people that they actually came into town to see even if it was for business now and then.

When the townspeople asked him what was happening he would just smile at them and turn back to his work. He wouldn't say anything and he wouldn't answer any questions. If the people who came to ask him questions far too disruptive, then he would ask them politely to leave and not come back until they were sure of their composure. He had a business to run and he didn't have time for busybodies and gossip-mongers.

When he was at home in the upper part of the shop during the nights he would look over at the picture of his little sister and her husband. In the picture his darling little sister was six months pregnant and so happy looking. She was beautiful with her long brown hair pulled partially back and her deep blue eyes bright with joy. Her husband with his strange almost grey hair sticking up from so many different explosions during his work was standing next to her. He had a crazy grin across his face as his arms were wrapped around his lovely spring bride. The portrait had been commissioned instead of a wedding picture due to the inability to pay for the first event's capture in time. He had made enough to pay for this picture and for one more.

Monsignor Bookkeeper smiled at the last picture he had of his little sister, a small painting of her holding her firstborn. She was frail-looking and almost transparent, but she was so happy she glowed. Her face was thin and her hair was limp, but her eyes and her face were so happy that she was practically angelic. She never fully recovered and she joined the angels themselves a few years later.

He loved his daughter and he loved his little niece even when she wasn't as aware of their relation. There was a reason behind the distance between them. Maurice wasn't even aware of the relation between them. He knew that his wife's family had ordered the pictures and that they had sat for them before they had sent them off in the mail. He had never met more than his wife's father when he'd asked the man for his daughter's hand in marriage.

The old man smiled at the small pictures in his hands before placing them carefully away. If he didn't hear anything about the father or daughter being back in the village before the winter was over, then he would see what he could do to find them. Family looked after family, no matter what.

**XXxxXX**

Belle wasn't sure what they were doing, it was crazy what they were doing, but it was all she could think of at the moment. She wasn't thinking about anything but getting back to her Beast, her friend. He needed her and she didn't know what he needed her for, but it was something and she was going to do whatever it was that he needed.

"Are we there yet?"

Belle rolled her eyes at the question that the cup-child had been asking what seemed like every other five minutes. He really only asked whenever they changed positions on their trek through the snow. The rest of the time Chip was napping in her satchel, switching who was on Philippe was really the only thing that would wake up. He was jostled in the satchel when Belle moved from either a walking position or a sitting position.

"No, Chip, we're not there yet." Maurice sighed from his trudging through the snow.

Belle pulled on Philippe's reins to stop the horse. She dismounted and turned to her father, who had a rather stubborn look on his face that told her he wasn't going to humor her this time. He was going to walk the rest of the way and she was going to ride and nothing she did or said was going to change his mind. She opened her mouth to argue with him but closed it just as quickly. He was still her father and he wasn't sick anymore. She needed to obey his wishes in this matter and truth be told, she was rather tired from worrying over what might have happened to the Beast. She could use the rest; Philippe knew where they were going even if the others didn't. He wouldn't steer them wrong.

"Here, I shall help you back up, my dear."

Belle submitted to her father's aid and then leaned against Philippe's strong neck as her eyes drifted closed.


	7. Chapter 7: An Enchanted Life

**Chapter 7: An Enchanted Life**

Mrs. Potts became more and more worried as the days passed. She couldn't find Chip anywhere and she had searched the castle from the highest peak to the lowest corner of the basement and then had asked others to help her when she found nothing. She hadn't heard anything from him since they'd learned that Belle had left in a hurry, and even then it had been before they'd learned that Belle was leaving that she'd seen him last. She'd sent him off to bed while she'd stayed to help her master with anything he required.

She hoped that he was just somewhere hiding while being upset over Belle leaving. He was young yet and she knew that he was very curious about what had been happening in the castle since Belle had come to live with them. The young woman had been very kind to Mrs. Potts's son and he had found a new friend that seemed so much more human than any of the others in the castle. Belle had such a bright hope around her even when she was a prisoner of their master. Most of the servants in the castle had long since given up hope on ever being who they were again and so lost a part of themselves due to this.

"Why that sorceress punished the innocent along with the guilty…" she muttered to herself as she carried out her duties once more. She sighed then as she thought of the man that her master had become because of everything that had happened, "Then again, I wonder, if it had only been the master that suffered the change, would he have learned what true decency was from Belle? No, he might have only learned how to pity himself more."

The master had, after all, spent the first few years pitying only himself before Belle had come along. Now, he seemed more upset by what he had trapped his servants in rather than the fact that he would remain a beast for the rest of his life. At least he would die eventually, probably hopeful for such an outcome if Mrs. Potts was being honest with herself. His servants on the other hand… It would take a great deal to destroy the enchanted objects that used to be people. They might stay in these forms until the end of days for all they knew.

Mrs. Potts found that she wouldn't have minded that so much, if only she knew where her son had gotten off to. She was dreadfully worried about him. Sometimes she was grateful that he was enchanted. These moments didn't happen often and usually only when he'd tried something stupid that should have shattered the delicate porcelain that he was made of; only the magic that kept him in that form had protected him from death. Most of the time she lamented that he was here in the castle with her and not off with his father when the spell had been cast. He would likely never know what it was like to grow up and marry and have a family. He would forever remain a child in mind, if not in body.

A small tear fell from her eye.

"Oh my son, where are you?"

**XXxxXX**

Cogsworth finished up overseeing the rest of the servants for the day when an unsuspected thing happened. Many of the staff kept coming to him for help throughout the day. He hadn't been able to help all of them immediately and had wondered just where his friend Lumiere was. After all, the candelabra was supposed to be doing a job not too dissimilar to Cogsworth's. Yet the 'man' in question was nowhere to be found, apparently. It wouldn't have worried Cogsworth too much several months ago as the candelabra was known to sink into a bit of a depression now and then. Several months ago had been the starting point for said problems to be starting.

Instead they had met a young woman who had literally turned their master's world upside down and their own as well. Lumiere had been practically incandescent since she had come to the castle. He was hard enough to live with during the best of times and those few months had been better than the best for everyone involved. Then, Belle had left and despite Lumiere's initial belief that she would return to them soon (who had the best knowledge about love after all?, he'd remind Cogsworth) she had not come back. The last rose petal had long since fallen and still there was no sound or hint that Belle would be returning to them.

Lumiere had taken to disappearing for several hours throughout the day, but he was always able to finish most of his work anyway either before or after he did so. The fact that he hadn't been found at all today and it was the end of the work day for everyone? That worried Cogsworth far more than he would ever admit to. He was worried about his friend and rightly so. Even in Lumeire's worst depressions throughout the years, he had always been reachable. You knew where to go to find him, usually, but now…

Now they couldn't find him at all. Cogsworth was worried much in the same way that he knew Mrs. Potts was worried for Chip. They couldn't bear to lose anyone else.

**XXxxXX**

Babette looked everywhere for Lumiere but was unable to locate him. She hadn't seen him at all during any part of her shift and had been asked by several other servants throughout the day where he was. She usually knew, but today she was stumped. Even Cogsworth didn't know where he was and that worried her even more.

"If neither of us know where he is," she whispered worriedly to herself, "Then wherever would he be? He is never out of reach for _everyone_."

She worried even more when Mrs. Potts caught up with her. "I'm sorry to be a bother, but have you seen Chip during your shift at all? I know that you are usually one of the better people for finding him when he's off sulking and I just thought…"

"I'm afraid that I have not, Mrs. Potts. Have you seen Lumiere, by any chance?"

The teapot shook herself in response, "I'm afraid I haven't, you don't think the two of them have wondered off to get into mischief together?" The elder servant looked even more worried.

It was a well-known fact that when Chip and Lumiere worked together on something, it was bound to explode in everyone else's faces whilst the two of them would be well clear of the explosion. They'd probably feign innocence (Lumiere) or wonder what all the fuss was about (Chip).

"Wherever they've gotten to, I hope it isn't anything like some of the other times they've gone off together."

Babette added her agreement before they parted ways to continue their search.


	8. Chapter 8: Scattered Hopes and Dreams

**Chapter 8: Scattered Hopes and Dreams**

Lumiere was alone and that was how he wanted it. He was in the one place that he knew had been searched already, had actually seen and heard the searchers go through it several times before turning to other parts of the castle. He was in a little-known nook of the library's main wing. He had disappeared to here shortly after the news that the rose's petals had finished falling.

He had seen the change in his master and he had seen the change in the girl. He knew that the contents of the Sorceress's spell had been satisfied and had wondered just why the spell hadn't been broken. His master had found a young woman, had fallen in love with her, and if Lumiere knew anything about love then he knew that the young woman was just as in love with his master as he was with her.

"Why did it not end? Why are we still diminished like this? Was the Sorceress's spell really a curse that had no antidote? Then why would she have said otherwise!"

He would have paced if he had been able to, but he didn't want anyone to come across him when he was trying to work this out. There had to be a way out of this seemingly eternal torment, there just had to be! He closed his eyes and took in a deep and unnecessary breath before opening his eyes once again. The faintest glimmer of tears shown in the dim light as he looked around at the shelves and shelves of books around him. You could only hold onto the hope that life would turn out all right for so long before that thin thread snapped.

Having almost escaped their bleak future only to have it snatched away at the last moment made it so much worse.

"Maybe it _would_ have been better if she had never come here at all."

**XXxxXX**

Their trek through the snow was taking longer than they thought it would, probably because they had forgotten to include how difficult traveling through snow would be. They weren't used to so much snow in their area.

"Father, maybe we should start looking for shelter for the night?"

"Nonsense, my dear, we should arrive soon enough."

"Father, you've said that since the sky started darkening and we've yet to even see the castle from a distance."

Maurice held back a sigh. He understood that his daughter was worried not only for those still at the castle in question, but also over his own health, but it was just too risky for them to spend the night out in the forest. He had tried to do so back when he was younger; he had no wish to repeat the experience, especially with his daughter. Luckily Chip had long since fallen asleep and was no longer awoken every time they spoke or even traded turns on Philippe. It was her turn to be walking beside their family horse. She had insisted and he had finally given in. She was tired, though, and he knew that he would be able to convince her to trade places with him soon.

"And it's just as true now as it was then. We've each been taking naps while riding on Philippe and we'll be fine to travel throughout the night if we need to. We're warm enough at the moment and the supplies we brought with us will make a good breakfast in the cold morning light as it did for dinner."

Belle sighed, but kept trudging on, "Yes, father."

He would get his girl back to her home if it killed him. Hopefully it wouldn't and if it did, he'd've at least gotten her to her new family and he could go with the knowledge that his only child would be taken care of.

**XXxxXX**

Gaston was an arrogant man, he was a man with his ego larger than the house he lived in and he was definitely the kind of man that wouldn't take things lying down. No, he would stand and make you take him out whilst he was standing. He'd do his best to take you down with him at the very least.

Now, however…

"If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to not call." Had been the last thing that Monsieur D'Arque had snarled at him before driving back through the snow towards the Maison de Lune.

The villagers that had followed them, eager for a good show, had left for their own homes that night, grumbling over what had or rather what _hadn't_ happened. Only the die-hards had come back to the tavern, but he had left for his own room in the tavern. He wasn't up for listening to whatever anyone else wanted to say to him, not tonight.

He had been so disappointed that he hadn't even done more than kick snow at his cousin. He knew that his heart's desire and her father's disappearances weren't Le Fou's fault and he was just so tired of it by this point to do anything more than that single kick. Le Fou, like the loyal man that he was, had been able to keep most everyone's attentions off of him when they got back to the tavern so that he could make his escape. That, more than anything else, is what kept the burly man from planning some kind of retribution on the wild goose chase the smaller man had inadvertently led him on.

"We could have been happy, it would have taken time, but we _would_ have been happy." The unusually defeated looking man whispered to his rafters. "Why could you never give me a chance?"


	9. Chapter 9: Not Quite A Beginning

**Chapter 9: Not Quite A Beginning**

It took several days, or what seemed like days, he wasn't really sure, before he decided that he needed a change. He needed to change something. He couldn't just stay still and hope for change to come to him. That was what he had been doing for the last several years. He'd been sitting up in his little tower and slowly losing what little of himself he'd ever had and terrorizing his own servants. He'd become more than a monster, but it wasn't because of what he'd looked like.

She had helped him understand that. It wasn't anything to do with what he looked like but completely to do with how he acted. You were only really a monster if you wanted to be, if you didn't care.

He'd indulged himself in some self-pity. Okay, he'd indulged in a lot of self-pity, especially since the one person that he'd ever really loved since his mother had died had ridden out of his life. He'd let her go, he'd all but told her to go and given her the only way he'd had of ever seeing her again. But he'd been fine with that, even if she'd never use it, even if she'd never really keep it.

"Stop it," he told himself, "Stop thinking that way. She's better than that and she deserves to have her memory treated better than that, especially from you."

Belle had been everything and nothing at the same time. She had been so much more than he'd ever thought she would be. She deserved the very best that he had to give even if she wasn't there to receive it. If he truly loved her as he'd told his servant, then he needed to do something about it.

**XXxxXX**

Mrs. Potts was surprised when instead of finding Lumiere she found her Master instead. He was making his way down to the library with a purpose in his steps that she hadn't seen since Belle had left.

"Master?"

He doesn't stop, but he does slow down enough so that she's not completely left behind. "Mrs. Potts."

"Master, is there something you need?" Her voice remained unhurried even as she hopped beside him. She was certainly the most stable of his servants and friends. Probably because she could remember him as a child and was a mother herself. Mothers were strangely calm and stable creatures in the Beast's experience.

"I have decided to go back to the library and continue my reading. I have been neglecting my education since long before…Belle… came to live with us." He paused slightly after that, but only hesitated a moment in his stride before continuing, "I…I will not allow myself to forget what she has taught me."

He said no more on their walk through the castle. Mrs. Potts follows along in his wake, slightly startled, but most of all proud.

Her Master was one of the first children she was ever in charge of before she had her own. He is finally growing up and moving on with his life, even if in a very painful way. And she is as proud of him as if he were her own child, though she has always been careful to never treat him as such. He is not her child and never has been, but he has been her charge for far longer than he has been around anyone else.

Now if only she could find Chip, everything would be better than it had been since Miss Belle had left.

**XXxxXX**

The Beast spent several hours in the library, eating small meals as carefully as possible around the treasured books before returning to his wing for the night. This is where he is when she returns to his life.

He'd been going through the library and trying to remember what little he'd learned during his lessons as a boy from his father before he'd passed. He knew what to do with very little of what he knew as he didn't really have any connections outside of his castle and enchanted servants anymore. Any that he might have had long since stopped trying to contact him. Several of them had only worked reluctantly with his servants because he was a prince and had wealth. He was almost entirely certain that other than missing the added income, his disappearance from their lives had been taken with a toast and a good riddance.

This and many more unnamed reasons were part of why he was so shocked when he received word that Belle and her father had returned to his castle.

"I'm afraid that they were taken directly to rooms for the night, Master. They were too exhausted for even a cup of tea." Cogsworth was the one reporting to him as Mrs. Potts was, surely, settling their unexpected guests in their rooms for the night. "Is there anything else that you might require at this time, sir?"

The Beast stood there for a long moment just staring at his steward. "No, no, Cogsworth. Just make sure that there is a good breakfast for us all in the morning and that my guests have everything that they need." He dismissed the little enchanted clock who left with a small bow before shutting the door behind himself.

The Beast took a moment to idly wonder at how well his servants were able to interact with their world despite the spell that would likely never end. He didn't entertain such thoughts long as he settled himself into his large bed for the night and fell asleep by sheer force of will.

The sooner he slept, the sooner he'd wake and learn whether this was just a dream or not.


	10. Chapter 10: Give Up?

**Chapter 10: Give Up?**

Belle was more than happy to wake up in the morning and be greeted by her operatic armoire. She'd missed the enchanted woman's humming in the mornings.

"Good Morning!" the armoire sang out joyfully when she noticed that the young woman in the bed was sitting up.

"Good morning," Belle returned the smile and accepted her friend's advice on what to wear for the day. How the enchanted armoire seemed to have clothes in just the right side had made her wonder at first. In the end, she had just put it down to magic. What else could she say about it?

"I suggest that you wear the pink one!" her friend sang, "I don't think he'll be able to look away from you!"

Belle nodded in agreement as she accepted the dress and moved towards the vanity to wash up and begin getting dressed. She wasn't in the mood for a complete bath, but washing up even a little always helped wake her up. She finished pulling her hair back up after brushing it until it shone. She smiled at her friend through the mirror.

"Well, it looks like today is going to be a good day."

Belle laughed softly, "I hope so; I certainly hope so."

She was both looking forward to introducing her father to her friend and dreading it at the same time. The last time the Beast had been in the same room as her father things had not gone well. They had gone almost the extreme opposite of well. She hoped that things would go better this time around. She wasn't quite sure what she would do if they went otherwise.

"I'm sure they will both surprise you quite pleasantly, Belle."

"Did you ever have this kind of problem?"

The armoire blushed, or would have if she was still a woman. "Not this problem exactly, but having my mother meet my paramour was quite…" She trailed off and seemed to lose herself in the fond memory.

Belle smiled and bid her a goodbye before leaving the room. Her furniture bound friend hummed her farewell as she stayed in her memories.

Belle traded soft hellos with the servants as she walked towards the breakfasting room in the castle. She would stop and converse with them for a few moments in the past, but they all seemed eager for her to continue on her way this morning even if they didn't quite say it in those terms. She wanted to pretend that she didn't understand just why they were doing this, and in a way she didn't, but she also understood that they were just as nervous about what would happen during breakfast as she was. Even if whatever it was they were nervous about was different from what she was nervous about.

She was the last to arrive in their rather small party for breakfast.

The room was very quiet, as if everyone inside had been waiting for her to arrive before they continued living. It reminded her of one of the stories that she had borrowed from the bookkeeper in town. A story about a princess who had pricked her finger and fallen into an eternal sleep; some fairies had spread the eternal sleep throughout the small kingdom. It had been quiet for something like one hundred years before the silence had been broken and the kingdom and princess were awakened. This is what she thinks of when she enters the room that her father and her Beast and a few servants are in.

As if she had broken some kind of eternal spell just by walking into the room.

The smile she gives them is a small way of not having to laugh at the ridiculousness of that last thought. She's not in a story, after all; she's in real life. Just because her life happens to include a Beast that is more man and servants that are animated objects doesn't mean anything.

**XXxxXX**

"What possessed you to do such a thing?"

Chip had a hard time meeting his mother's eyes. Truth-be told, he hadn't really thought about what he was doing when he'd snuck into Belle's bag. All he'd been thinking about was that he couldn't let Belle leave them, even if he had to drag her back himself. He'd never seen anyone in the castle as happy as when Belle was with them.

"I just wanted her to come home."

"While your heart was in the right place, my dear, you should not have snuck off like that! I was worried sick!"

"But Mom, I came home all right."

Mrs. Potts pressed her lips into a think line and Chip knew that if they had been human, then his mother would have her hands balled up and on her hips. She'd probably spank him as well and then send him to his room. As they weren't human and his mother didn't have hands or arms, the most he'd get out of this would be a blistering lecture, time in his cupboard and extra chores.

He was probably the only person under the spell that was occasionally grateful for being under it.

**XXxxXX**

Lumiere continued to search for a cure long after night had fallen. He was unaware of Belle's return as he had managed to nap during the time when she'd returned and the uproar it had caused. He searched through the books as much as possible. There were those that he was unable to reach by simple virtue of the fact that his reach wasn't as good as it used to be. He didn't need to worry about it being light enough for him to read at least.

"There must be something here." He muttered to himself as he flipped carefully and yet fitfully through another tome. "We have books from all over and years in age. I know that there are books on magic in here, there has to be."

He hadn't found anything that they hadn't already known. He was losing patience and it was only his respect and loyalty to his master that stopped him from 'accidentally' singeing the pages of the books in front of him. His master had been, well, careful wasn't the right word for it, but he hadn't destroyed anything that wasn't fixable or replaceable. Books were not in that list and so had been ignored for the most part during their time under the curse. A few of the maids had dusted in the library now and then, but the majority of them weren't able to read more than a few words here or there.

Lumiere didn't have much hope for finding anything. Cogsworth had spent most of his down time, what little he'd allowed himself, looking through the books during the first few years of their curse. He hadn't found anything helpful and no one else had looked as far as the candlestick knew.

"Why did we give up? A little hope is better than despair, just because-"

"There you are!"

It was only because he managed to drop the book off the table shelf that he didn't set it on fire. He still wasn't sure why he didn't set any of the others on fire. On further reflection, he didn't set anything on fire because he had gotten to the point where he would drop the offending non-answer holding books off the edge to the floor below. It was a short drop, so the books weren't really damaged and very few people had wandered past the library both before and after Belle had left.

He cursed under his breath in French and turned to see who had interrupted his research.

"Mrs. Potts, is there something I can help you with?"

She frowned at him in disapproval, "There is no cause for language like that."

He nodded, sorrier that he'd been caught than anything. He was lucky that she didn't have any of the children with him; he'd have really been in for it then.

"I just wondered where you'd been these last few days," she continued, "I know it hasn't been easy since Miss Belle left, but I'd have thought that you'd be planning some kind of party, not sitting in a dusty library."

"Why would I be planning anything? It's not like anything we do will make a difference at this point. There's nothing to celebrate."

"Nothing to celebrate!" she chuckled, "How long have you been cooped up in here?"

He didn't answer, just looked down at the small cluster of books on the floor below the shelf he was on. "Long enough to create quite a mess." He tried to inject some humor in his voice, but failed.

"Then you don't know, do you?"

"Know what? That we're probably going to be locked away in these forms for the rest of our unnatural lives? That all hope is lost and there's nothing we can do about it?" he asked bitterly.

She blinked at him in slight shock before smiling gently, "Belle returned to us."

"What?" he breathed in disbelief.

"She came back to the master and she brought her father to meet him this time."

He continued to stare at her in silence.

She smiled joyfully, "There is still hope."

"How?" he croaked, "How can there still be hope for any of us? The rose is dead."

Her smile turned a tad sad, "I don't know, but I know that she came back for us and that she obviously loves the master and cares for all of us. That has to mean something, doesn't it?"

He frowned at her, but didn't say anything as he hopped down from the shelf he was on. He ignored the books on the floor as he followed Mrs. Potts out of the library. He'd be back after taking care of the dinner preparations with the maternal teapot. He wasn't done looking for a way out, even if things were looking a little brighter with the return of the lovely young woman who had captured their master's heart.


	11. Chapter 11: Awkward

**Chapter 11: Awkward**

Breakfast should have been awkward, it really should have been. The last time the three of these people had been in the same room, Maurice had lost his daughter, Belle had lost her freedom and the Beast had turned a very important corner by acting like a complete monster in the eyes of a small family instead of just looking like one.

"Please pass the butter."

Breakfast really should have been more awkward considering the way these facts.

"Here you are."

It wasn't.

"These scones are simply wonderful."

"Thank you, I'll be certain to relay that to our chef. He works very hard on every meal served."

Belle smiled behind her teacup as she watched her father and her Beast exchange small pleasantries over their breakfast. They remained polite to one another and she knew that they were trying because they both cared for her.

"I hope that you are feeling better," the Beast did not make eye contact with her father, but did look in his general direction. Her father was looking over the Beast's shoulder so he didn't notice. Belle hid another smile.

"I am feeling much better, thank you."

They continued on in this manner until breakfast was over and then they all retired to a sitting room near the library. Belle had wanted to go see her library, but she knew that she would be distracted by all of the beautiful books and lose track of any conversations happening in the room.

There was a long and very tense silence that followed the pleasantness of the breakfast now that they had nothing to occupy their minds with in the sitting room. She perched herself on a small settee while her father sat uncomfortably in an armchair and the Beast? He was sitting on his haunches as politely as possible in front of the small fire in the hearth. The fire itself would eventually grow into a raging inferno all while staying within the confines of the fireplace itself. It would heat the room very well and likely any of the other rooms that were around the immediate area as well. Belle wondered how it had been set up like that and if it had been the point of the design for several minutes before she realized she was trying to distract herself from the matter at hand.

She shook her head slightly and ignored the looks of confusion that said action got her from her father and her Beast.

"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts." She smiled in apology.

Her father laughed softly, if slightly strained sounding, "That's nothing new, Belle."

She glanced over at the Beast as he didn't exactly smile with his face, just his eyes. He looked unsure of how to interact with her father now that they had already exhausted all the pleasantries over breakfast.

The Beast cleared his throat, "I would never want you to think I didn't want you here…" he began.

"Beast-"

"No, Belle, I need to say this."

Maurice was silent.

"I'm happy, more than happy, that you came back, but I don't understand." The Beast looked down at where Belle had placed her hand on his arm, "Why did you come back?"

"Beast…" Belle hesitated and glanced over at her father, who was being annoyingly silent about this whole thing. Maurice was just sitting there, staring at them with dark eyes. He's waiting for her to answer, she realizes and takes a deep breath before continuing. "I came back, because there was no other choice for me. Not really. I belong here with you." She glances up at _her_ Beast through her lashes and smiles at the look on his face.

He looked like he's seen the sun for the first time and it's so beautiful and terrible and wonderful and _everything he's ever wanted_ all at the same time. He also looked like he can't quite believe that this is true, but didn't want to say anything in case he woke himself up.

Belle continues to smile, but it's turned slightly sad. "I really mean it, Beast. I want to stay here, with you."

She doesn't look at her father because she doesn't need to know that he doesn't look at all surprised. He knew before she did, just like he'd known how much she'd like reading and known what she'd wanted to do for Christmas every year (sit quietly and read a book together). Just like he'd known when his beloved wife was going to die, but carried on anyway.

He'd known that she needed to move forward with her life before the Fair and had been trying to prompt her towards a decision before they'd even known that her Beast was an option.

Her Beast, however, did not know any of this and so was looking now at her father with a question on his face. "Have you nothing to say, sir?" His voice was quiet, but did not waver.

Maurice's face was not made of stone nor were his eyes hard as they watched. The look that they held was one that every father wears when they realize that they no longer need to guard over their daughters to make sure that they are cared for always. The look that they get when they've found another man who will take over that job for them and know that their daughters have chosen well.

But there was still a question in his own eyes that the Beast knew and understood even if Belle did not. She had never really had to consider this after all.

"We will need to discuss this more later, Messer. Beast," Maurice concluded, "But for the moment, I have nothing against what my daughter has said. She may stay here and live in this castle in her own rooms."

He said nothing more as his daughter, in her joy, hugged him all while beaming a smile so wide that her cheeks would likely not forgive her if she did not stop it before nightfall. The Beast did not smile, but his eyes warmed so much that it was almost like Maurice was seeing the man within instead of the animal on the outside.

"Thank you, father!"

Maurice didn't remove his eyes from the Beast's and the once-man nodded in understanding. At another time in another place, when Belle was preoccupied with something else, they would be having a discussion. It would need to be soon, but it didn't need to be right now.

**XXxxXX**

Lunch was a quiet affair and the afternoon was spent with Belle reuniting with her servant friends throughout the castle. She had insisted that her father accompany her so that she could introduce him to everyone. The Beast had come and gone, looking each time as if he would love nothing more than to stay within the presence of the young woman and her contagious joy, but he would end up having to excuse himself for business several times for at least an hour before returning once again as if to reassure himself that she was still there. Maurice didn't blame him; he'd found himself reacting much the same way when he'd first married his beautiful wife.

"And this is Cogsworth, Father. He's the Beast's majordomo and also the first person to mention the Castle Library to me."

Maurice chuckled, "Then he must surely be your second favorite of all your new friends!"

Belle laughed softly and shook her head, "I don't have favorites among my friends, father. You know that."

"You've never had so many friends before in one place, though."

"That is no reason to start doing something like that now, though."

Cogsworth smiled thoughtfully at the teasing between the man and his daughter. He wondered if things might have turned out differently if the master would have had such a relationship with his father. It seemed to work for Belle and Maurice, but maybe it was because they were from a different station, though. Life between the stations was a lot more different than most people were aware of, even if, in the end, they were all equals in the eyes of God. They were not equals in the eyes of the Country or the King.

"Would you be interested in seeing the library too, sir?" the enchanted clock asked politely.

Maurice shook his head while still chuckling, "Maybe tomorrow. I'd be more interested in any mechanics work in your fine castle. I'm not the same kind of reader as my daughter."

"What about books on mechanics and engineering?"

Maurice paused in their small stroll for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face. "I hadn't thought of that… Hmmm…"

"We can still look at the mechanisms of the castle after seeing the library if that would be fine."the clock assured him.

Belle laughed at the look on her father's face, "We can go to the library after viewing the mechanisms, Cogsworth. Father would likely get lost in his reading just as I do once seeing the books available. He's not used to having new reading material and that's probably the biggest reason he doesn't read as much as I do. My going to the bookshop at least once a week is just as much to see if they have any new books in the areas father is interested in as to look for new books of anything for myself."

"I don't know if I'd be able to pull myself away from either activity long enough to do both in one day." Maurice mused. "Why don't we separate for a bit, Belle, just until the evening meal." He added when she looked like she would protest. "I have had you to myself for a lot longer than these fine, erm, people have. I won't mind being left to myself for at least an hour while you finish visiting with your friends."

"Father, you don't have to-"

"Sir, we really don't-"

"That settles it then," came a deep voice from behind the trio. "I shall visit with you for that hour, if you don't mind, Maurice?" The Beast looked slightly uncomfortable about being alone with the man that he had thrown from his home after having kept him imprisoned and then stealing his daughter.

"That would be wonderful," Maurice returned, looking reassuringly at his concerned daughter, "We didn't really have a good first impression of one another in the beginning, but I've always believed that it takes more than the first dozen or so meetings to really take the measure of a man, or woman's, measure."

Belle hesitated for a moment longer before nodding and drifting away from her father and her Beast after the Beast had nodded to her that things would be fine.

It didn't occur to the young woman that she had looked for such reassurance from someone other than her father when said man was still present.

It was not unnoticed by those left behind.

**XXxxXX**

Monsieur Bookkeeper missed his once weekly visitor who always made the effort to visit him unless she or her father was ill. He hadn't seen her since the fall and the news from Le Fou about Maurice and his own illness were the last bit of news he'd had. Winter wasn't through with them just yet if the heaviness of the snow was any indicator.

The bell on his shop door rang.

"Monsieur? Are you available?"

He finished placing the books in his hands back on their shelves and tucking the dusting cloth away in a convenient cubby that he kept his cleaning supplies in before moving towards his guest. His hands moving towards his glasses and removing them for a quick polish on his handkerchief before replacing them on his nose.

"How may I help you?"

"Monsieur _Bookkeeper_," there was a pause as the shopkeeper looked up sharply and the speaker smiled, "It has been a while since we last saw one another, cousin."


End file.
